Shoe with sole removably attached to upper

ABSTRACT

A shoe including an upper, a sole including slots formed in a bottom of the sole, and retention overlay. The sole is removably attached to the shoe upper via the retention overlay, which is provided within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/172,866, filed Apr. 9, 2021, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety therein.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to shoe, and more particularly to a shoe in which a shoe sole is removably attached to a shoe upper.

Conventionally, shoes have been manufactured by permanently fixing the shoe sole to the shoe upper. The sole is fixed to the upper by for example, stitching, cement, or other permanent assembly. However, with these construction types, assembly is difficult and time consuming. In addition the sole cannot be replaced if the sole has become worn or if the user wishes to change the tread pattern or other characteristics of the sole. Further, in a conventional shoe in which the parts are permanently fixed, at the eventual lifecycle of the shoe, it is difficult to recycle the shoe parts into their individual compounds.

Patent literature document KR 2020-0048892 A discloses a shoe including an upper that is attached to a sole via a mesh. However, the mesh of KR '892 is unable to sufficiently hold the upper and sole together. Patent literature document KR 2019-0037427 discloses a shoe including an upper that is attached to a sole via a strap member. Like KR '892, the strap member of KR '427 is unable to sufficiently hold the upper and sole together.

SUMMARY

One aspect is a shoe including an upper, a sole including slots formed in a bottom of the sole, and retention overlay. The sole is removably attached to the shoe upper via the retention overlay, which is provided within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole. The retention overlay is secured or tightened at a rear of the shoe. The aspect may allow for a simple shoe assembly and may also allow for removable assembly and disassembly of the upper and sole of the shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a shoe.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the shoe upper.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the shoe upper.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the shoe.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the upper and sole.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the shoe.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of shoe.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the shoe with the cord tightened to secure the upper and sole.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the shoe.

FIG. 10 is a lateral view of the shoe upper and retention overlay.

FIG. 11 is a lateral view of the shoe.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the shoe.

FIG. 13 is a lateral view of the assembled shoe.

FIG. 14 is a close-up view of the bottom of the shoe.

FIG. 15 is a rear view of the shoe.

FIG. 16 shows a third embodiment of the shoe.

FIG. 17 is rear view of the shoe.

FIG. 18 is bottom view of the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures are disclosed herein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed structures that may be embodied in various forms. Aspects of this disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

FIGS. 1-19 depict a first embodiment of a shoe 100, including an upper 10, a sole 20, and a retention overlay 30. The shoe may be made of any suitable materials, but are preferably made of sustainable materials. For example, the upper 10 may be made of any suitable material for example Knit Polyester, Nylon, Recycled PET, Lyocell, wool, cotton, or any suitable textile. The retention overlay 30 also may be made of any suitable material, for example Recycled PET webbing, recycled content Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), bio-based resin, hemp cording, or other suitable material.

FIG. 1 shows the shoe upper 10 fitted within the retention overlay 30. The retention overlay 30 may be a lacing overlay, which includes multiple fingers 32 with lace loops 32 a at the ends of the fingers 32 and a single cord 34. It is preferred for the fingers 32 to extend substantially vertically downward (about 90 degrees) toward the position where the sole 20 will be located. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the fingers 32 and loops 32 a are formed as a PET webbing. Alternatively, the fingers 32 may be formed by a one-piece molded part formed of a flexible plastic, such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (PTU), with the loops 32 a formed or molded at the ends of the fingers 32. The loops 32 a may be stitched lace.

The single cord 34 is laced through the loops 32 a. The cord 34 is provided in a substantially oval or round shape with the ends of the cord 34 extending to a rear of the shoe.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the upper 20 showing the fingers 32 of the retention overlay 30. In this embodiment the retention overlay 30 is attached to shoe laces 50, which are used for tying the shoe on a user's foot. The shoes laces 50 may be standard shoe laces of any suitable material. For example, the laces 50 may be made of Recycled PET or Paper.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the upper 10 showing the fingers 32 and cord 34 of the retention overlay 30. The fingers 32 are designed to be inserted into slots 22 within the sole 20 (not shown in this figure). The ends 34 a of the cord 34 function as a cinching cord to tighten the retention overlay 30 when the sole 20 is inserted within the retention overlay 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ends 34 a of the cord 34 may be inserted within cord anchors 12 at the rear of the shoe upper 10. By tying the ends 34 a of the cord, the retention overlay 30 may be tightened around the upper 10 and sole 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sole 20 includes slots 22 formed in a bottom surface and in the lateral sides of the sole. The sole 20 may be made of a typical midsole material, but preferably a sustainable material, for example, Sugar EVA, Recyclable PVC, Green dot blow molded resin, or blown latex with cork filler. The fingers 32 of the overlay 30 are inserted into the slots 22 at the lateral sides of the shoe. The fingers 32 may also be inserted into slots 22 at the front and rear sides of the shoe.

As shown in FIG. 6, the sole 20 is removably attached to the upper 10 via the retention overlay 30, which includes the fingers 32 provided within the slots 22 formed in the sole 20. The retention overlay 30 is tightened to removably secure the upper 10 to the sole 20 by inserting cord 34 a through cord anchors on the heel of the upper 10 and tying the ends 34 a of the cord 30 at the rear of the shoe. Alternatively, a lace lock or locking device may be used to secure the retention overlay 30, as in the second embodiment discussed below. The overlay 30 of the first embodiment and the overlay 30′ of the second embodiment discussed below are both active system because the upper is locked into place once the retention overlay is cinched in place.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the sole 20 in a state where the sole 20 is secured to the upper 10 via the retention overlay 30. The slots 22 of the sole 30 include both slots 22 b for receiving the fingers 32 and a dedicated bottom slot 22 a within which the cord 34 is inserted.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the sole 20 secured to the upper 10 via the retention overlay 30. The ends 34 a of the cord 34 function as a cinching cord to tighten the retention overlay 30 with both the sole 20 and upper 10 inserted within the retention overlay 30.

FIGS. 9-14 show a second embodiment of the shoe 200. Like the first embodiment, the shoe 200 includes an upper 10′, sole 20′, and retention overlay 30′. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the retention overlay 30′ includes a net portion 36 that extends over an upper surface of the upper 10. The net portion 36 may or may not be attached to the upper. Like the first embodiment, the second embodiment also includes fingers 32 that are inserted within slots 22 in the sole 20. This embodiment includes a cord 34 with cinching ends 34 a provides at a rear of the shoe. As in the first embodiment, the cord 34 is held within with lace loops 32 a at the ends of the fingers 32

FIG. 10 is a lateral view of upper 10′ and retention overlay 30′.

FIG. 11 is a lateral view of the upper 10′, sole 20′, and retention overlay 30′. The sole 20′ includes slots 22 within which the fingers 32 of the retention overlay 30′ are inserted.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the upper 10′, sole 20′, and retention overlay 30′. As with the first embodiment, the bottom of the sole 20′ includes slots 22 for receiving the fingers 32 of the retention overlay 30 and a dedicated bottom slot 22 a for receiving the cord 34.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the upper 10′, sole 20′, and retention overlay 30′ fully assembled. The retention overlay 30′ includes a net portion 36 that extends over an upper surface of the upper 10. The net portion 36 is not attached to the upper 10.

FIG. 14 is a close-up view of the bottom of the sole 20′. The sole 20′ includes slots 22 for receiving the fingers 32 of the retention overlay 30′ and a dedicated bottom slot 22 a for receiving the cord 34.

FIG. 15 is a rear view of the sole 20′ secured to the upper 10′ via the retention overlay 30′. In this embodiment, the ends 34 a of the cord 34 are tightened by a lace-lock mechanism 60. The ends 34 a of the cord 34 are tightened by the lace lock mechanism 60 at a rear of the upper 10′. The cord 34 is inserted through cord anchors 12, that are preferably provided as close to the location of the user's Achilles tendon as possible without causing irritation.

FIGS. 16-18 show a third embodiment 300, which also includes an upper 10″, a sole 20″, and a retention overlay 30″. In this embodiment, the retention overlay 30″ is cage-shaped and made of a molded resin, such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or another plastic. The shoe also includes a shoe lace 50 connecting one side of the retention overlay 30″ to another side of the retention overlay 30″, as well as the user's foot.

A semi-rigid strobel board 70 may be provided between the upper 10″ and the sole 20″ to provide pressure dispersion.

FIG. 17 shows a rear view of the shoe 300. A rear portion of the retention overlay 30″ includes a snap fit member 90 that secures the retention overlay 30″ around the upper 10″ and sole 20″. The snap fit member 90 includes a plurality of first snap fit portions 90 a that are snap fitted to a plurality of second snap fit portions 90 b to secure the retention overlay 30″. While the overlays 30, 30′ of the first and second embodiments and are active systems in which the upper is locked into place once the retention overlay is cinched in place, the overlay 30″ of the third embodiment is a more passive system because the overlay 30″ isn't fully tightened in place until the shoe laces are tightened.

FIG. 18 shows a bottom view of the shoe 300. The retention overlay 30″ includes loop portions 38 that extend from the shoe upper 10″ to the bottom of the sole 20″. It is preferred for vertical parts of the loop portions 38 to extend substantially vertically downward (about 90 degrees) toward the sole 20″, as shown in FIG. 16.

The loop portions 38 are secured to slot portions 122 provided at the bottom of the sole 20″. The slot portions are areas of the sole 20″ that surround protruding portions 110 of the sole 20″.

The sides of the protruding portions 110 include small recesses 110 a (i.e., voids in tread portion). The recesses 110 a act as key locks that center the loop portions 38 and prevent the loop portions 38 from slipping.

The descriptions of the various aspects and embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Even though combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe, comprising: an upper, a sole including slots formed in a bottom of the sole, and a retention overlay, wherein the sole is removably attached to the shoe upper via the retention overlay , which is provided within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole; wherein the retention overlay is secured or tightened at a rear of the shoe.
 2. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising slots formed in lateral sides of the sole, wherein the retention overlay is provided within the slots formed in the lateral sides of the sole.
 3. The shoe of claim 2, further comprising slots formed in a rear side of the sole, wherein the retention overlay is provided within the slots formed in the rear sides of the sole.
 4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the retention overlay extends to an upper surface of the upper.
 5. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the retention overlay comprises a fingers and a cord, the fingers extending from the upper to a bottom of the sole, the cord is attached to the fingers, and the cord and fingers are provided within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole.
 6. The shoe of claim 5, wherein each of the fingers includes a lace loop, and the cord is attached to the fingers via the lace loops.
 7. The shoe of claim 5, wherein the cord is tied at the rear of the shoe.
 8. The shoe of claim 5, further comprising a lace lock mechanism that tightens the cord at the rear of the shoe.
 9. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the retention overlay comprises a snap fit member at the rear of the shoe that secures the retention overlay.
 10. The shoe of claim 9, wherein snap fit member comprises a plurality of first snap fit portions that are snap fitted to a plurality of second snap fit portions.
 11. The shoe of claim 9, wherein the retention overlay comprises loop portions that extend from the shoe upper to the bottom of the sole, the loop portions are secured to the slot portions at the bottom of the sole.
 12. The shoe of claim 11, wherein the recesses are provided at sides of the slots formed in the bottom of the sole, the recesses act as key locks preventing the loop portions from slipping.
 13. The shoe of claim 9, further comprising lace connecting one side of the retention overlay to another side of the retention overlay.
 14. The shoe of claim 14, wherein the retention overlay is formed of a molded plastic resin.
 15. A method of making a shoe, comprising: providing an upper and a sole within a retention overlay, the sole including slots formed in a bottom of the sole, and providing the retention overlay within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole; and tightening or securing the retention overlay at a rear of the shoe.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the retention overlay within slots formed in the lateral sides of the sole.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing the retention overlay within slots formed in the rear sides of the sole.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the retention overlay extends to an upper surface of the upper.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the retention overlay comprises a fingers and a cord, the fingers extending from the upper to a bottom of the sole, the cord is attached to the fingers, and the cord and fingers are provided within the slots formed in the bottom of the sole. 